An oriental remedy, Sho-saiko-to (SST) consisting of a mixture of aqueous extracts from seven different plants and whose most active component is the chemically defined compound baicalein was tested for its ability to inhibit the production of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The testing was done with cultures of human lymphocytes obtained from HIV-positive asymptomatic subjects and patients with ARC or AIDS. The replication of the virus was monitored by quantitative assay of the reverse transcriptase (RT) activity and of the synthesis of antigen p24. The lymphocyte cultures (LC) were maintained in the absence and in the presence of 25, 50 or 100 micrograms/ml of SST, and monitored for up to 5 weeks. The results showed that in LC from asymptomatic subjects RT activity and synthesis of p24 was completely inhibited by low concentrations of SST. High concentrations of SST inhibited virus replication in 80% of LC from ARC patients, but were completely ineffective in LC from AIDS patients. It was observed that the RT activity was more sensitive to inhibition by SST than the synthesis of p24, and that the antiviral effect was dependent on the virus load of the LC.

AIDS-Related Complex↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Oligonucleotide probes for the identification of three algal groups by dot blot and fluorescent whole-cell hybridization.

Photosynthetic pico- and nanoplankton dominate phytoplankton biomass and primary production in the oligotrophic open ocean. Species composition, community structure, and dynamics of the eukaryotic components of these size classes are poorly known primarily because of the difficulties associated with their preservation and identification. Molecular techniques utilizing 18S rRNA sequences offer a number of new and rapid means of identifying the picoplankton. From the available 18S rRNA sequence data for the algae, we designed new group-specific oligonucleotide probes for the division Chlorophyta, the division Haptophyta, and the class Pelagophyceae (division Heterokonta). Dot blot hybridization with polymerase chain reaction amplified target rDNA and whole-cell hybridization assays with fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry were used to demonstrate probe specificity. Hybridization results with representatives from seven algal classes supported the phylogenetic affinities of the cells. Such group- or taxon-specific probes will be useful in examining community structure, for identifying new algal isolates, and for in situ detection of these three groups, which are thought to be the dominant algal taxa in the oligotrophic regions of the ocean.

Chlorophyta↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A case of fetal parvovirus B19 myocarditis, terminal cardiac heart failure, and perinatal heart transplantation.

We report a case of fetal cardiomegaly secondary to myocarditis as a result of intrauterine parvovirus B19 infection. The fetus was delivered through caesarean section because of increasing deterioration of cardiac function at 33 + 3 weeks with reverse flow in the ductus venosus. Four weeks later, a cardiac transplantation was carried out because of therapy-resistant dilative cardiomyopathy. This case shows that fetal parvovirus B19 infection may occur without anemia and myocarditis and does not always result in spontaneous reformation of a dilated heart and normal recovery. It may become the determining prognostic factor for the child.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ammonia production from hippurate by the rat kidney in vitro.

Hippurate is known to be synthesized from benzoate and glycine in the liver and kidney. It takes part in renal ammoniagenesis by modulating the activity of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma GT). Due to its chemical structure, however, hippurate might also serve as a substrate of renal ammoniagenesis. Hippurate may yield ammonia either having been cleaved by hippuricase or by Erlenmeyer's reaction after condensation with an aldehyde. In order to elucidate the possibility of hippurate being a substrate of renal ammoniagenesis, experiments were carried out on cortical kidney slices and on isolated tubular segments of the rat. The incubation medium (pH 7.1) was enriched with 10 mmol/l hippurate spiked with 15N-hippurate, some of the known competitive inhibitors of hippuricase, acivicin and different aldehydes. Factors known to affect hippuricase or gamma GT did not interfere with renal ammonia production. Glyceraldehyde (up to 1.0 mmol/l) but not glycerate had a stimulating effect, especially on the ammoniagenesis from hippurate. In normal rats fed a vegetarian diet, 1% of the added 15N moiety was found to be 15NH3. Renal 15NH3 production was significantly greater if, prior to the experiments, the animals were either acidotic or had a reduced renal mass or were fed animal proteins. These results indicate that hippurate may, to a certain extent, serve as substrate for ammoniagenesis.

Acidosis, Renal Tubular↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Community-acquired pneumonia: an approach to antimicrobial therapy.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, has undergone significant changes in the past 30 years. In addition to the fact that it increasingly is a disease affecting the elderly and those patients with underlying comorbidities, the spectrum of microbiological agents causing pneumonia has greatly expanded and includes in addition to Streptococcus pneumoniae many other agents including Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, and respiratory viruses. A major problem encountered by the clinician facing a patient with CAP derives from the imprecise clinical presentation, which in most instances does not permit a precise diagnosis of the etiological agent. As pneumonia, if untreated, is frequently a rapidly progressive illness, the clinician usually chooses antimicrobial agents on an empirical basis. Careful attention to historical, physical, and laboratory findings, as well as age and presence of comorbidities has led to a categorization of CAP into four groupings that assist in deciding whether the patient should be hospitalized and what empirical antimicrobial regimen should be started. Careful follow-up and familiarity with the clinical pneumonic syndromes associated with different microbial agents is essential to assure a successful outcome.

Acute Disease↗